A worse Little Ice Age

The Little Ice Age is a period of cooling that occurred in Europe sometime between the 16th to the mid-19th centuries. According to this Guardian Unlimited article, not only is another episode likely to occur with the worsening of global warming, but it could be harsher than the last time around:

There is "compelling evidence" to indicate that climate change is occurring and that the atmosphere will continue to warm at an unprecedented rate throughout the 21st century. It could lead to a reduction in north Atlantic salinity by increasing the freshwater runoff from the Arctic. This could affect the natural circulation of the north Atlantic by diminishing the warming effect of ocean currents on western Europe. "The drop in temperature might exceed that of the miniature ice age of the 17th and 18th centuries."

I hope I won't have to witness that. I'm actually feeling a little better living on this side of the Atlantic now that global warming is getting worse, but I still have family and friends in the Old Continent.